Comfort Against The Cold
by W-IIV
Summary: It's been a year since Diana and Akko saved the magical world. On the night before the celebration, Diana finds Akko looking at the window in the cold. LWA Secret Santa present 2k18


**A/N Merry Christmas! This is a Secret Santa present for 2018, specifically for Daily-Akko on tumblr! Thank you once again OP for hosting it! Also Daily Akko, I hope you enjoy it! As you can see I tried to do all the things in the prompt :)**

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Diana was never fond of winter. It left the many rooms in the Cavendish manor cold and dry, candles were needed more frequently as daylight quickly began to cease. There were also the annual cold creeping around, threatening her health and her capabilities to study near the fire. The days were short and the nights were long, far too long in her opinion.

That thought all changed after last year but that was expected, after all it would hard to detest the season when it was the time where she saved the magical world with Akko and her friends. It was bizzare to think that the event was almost a year ago but in spite of the many times Diana closed her eyes and pictured it all like it was yesterday. But it was a fact. By tomorrow's daybreak, the missile crisis and the revival of magic would be exactly one year ago.

The school has planned an event for the day to commemorate what an achievement 'The New Nine Witches', as they often dubbed them, done to both the school and the world at large. It was supposed to be secret celebration (which really didn't stay a secret for long due to Amanda's and Akko's meddling) and Diana was fairly excited for it. Then a blizzard had to come and ruin it all.

All of the students' hard work were gone by harsh winds of ice and snow that everyone thought would cease as time went on. Many spent their time in the last final days adjusting to celebrating indoors. Though some of her classmates were saddened by the fact that they had to wait till the blizzard leaves in order to head home. After all it was so dangerous to fly in the freak blizzard that even Amanda herself didn't dare attempt it.

So here Diana was, patrolling through the cold and empty Luna Nova hallways, bundled up as if she was outside with a thermos flask in her hands. She barely drunk out of it, always preferring a fresh magical brew of tea opposed to the hot chocolate inside but she won't lie that the object warmed her a bit.

Her steps echoed though the sound was muffled from the harsh whistles outside. Midnight frost glazed over the chilled windows, moonlight waxed and waned in the halls, the silver light shivering as Diana walked under it. When Diana exhaled the sharp taste of cold air, a puff of smoke emerged before fading away. She really detested winter in these dark, brooding tempting moments.

Diana shook off the urge to brood about the weather inside her head as she turned corner and spotted a slight glow in a room with an ajared door. The tint was an amber-yellow colour akin to those of candle light. With a sigh and a lecture in mind, Diana took her wand out and entered the room. Truly who would be so reckless to walk around in the weather like this?

To answer her own question, the student was none other than Akko Kagari, her girlfriend. She sat on the nearest desk to a window. Magical flames, candlelight and the fractured light of the moon illuminated her. She was leaning against her hand, the elbow perched on the desk, her eyes fixated on the weather outside, not even glancing in Diana's direction as the door shut behind her.

Diana paused at the sight, the slight shock in her gasped lips steeled to a thin line as her eyes narrowed before she exhaled the frustration in the next breath. She was ready to reprimanded her right there and then but the reminder that tomorrow was their celebration made her to reconsider an instant detention. She supposed that she could let it go for one night.

Still Diana marched towards her, her tongue torn in giving her a stern warning or giving her a teasing joke on why she was up in an hour like this. But as Diana moved closer the conflict on her face, whether to act as patrolling student or as her close friend, died as she studied Akko's face and posture.

From the distance it was easy to assume that Akko's cheek on her hand, elbow on the desk was one of disconcert or laziness but now that she was up close, Diana could see that it was rigid, stiff like ice. Despite the fact that Akko was in her shirt and shorts and the school cloak she wasn't shivering but her skin was pale. Her eyes though focused on what seemed to be the star printed moon, were distant, the dark red of her irises fading in saturation. The sight made Diana recoil mentally. Her brain already compared it to the dull emptiness Akko was on the eve where she was missing.

"It's been a year now," Akko said, her eyes still fixated on the weather. Diana stood near her, her eyes once filled with concern started to calm down. A small smile was on Diana's face as she glanced at the moon. Nostalgia filled her with warmth as the faint buzz of adrenaline from that day tickled the nerves under her skin.

She looked down at Akko, the touch of nostalgia waning at the sombre aura surrounding her dear friend. Concerned anxiety crawled over her now. "Yes," she whispered, studying Akko's reaction carefully. "I find it hard to believe it myself." To her surprise, Akko didn't do anything- she just sat still, only blinking every now and then.

"Yeah…"

Diana sat down next to her, concern jumping to worry as their bodies touched. Akko's skin was cold. "Akko, are you okay?" No matter her answer Diana was already undressing herself of her scarfs, gloves and hat and placing them on Akko.

"Yeah, no-I'm fine…" Akko paused, turning to Diana with a hollow fading eyes. The kind that made Diana's chest hurt at the sight, the kind that made her want to impulsively fight whoever caused Akko to have that face. Which is why she pushed the anger and pain and focused on making Akko wear her gloves, half listening to Akko words. "It's just- it's been a year Diana. A year."

"Technically," Diana said as she focused on making sure that her hat was covering Akko's already red tinted ears. "It's a year minus a day."

Akko perked her head up, forcing Diana to lose concentration and look at her. "What?" Confusion evident in her voice.

Now it was Diana's turn to look confused, her brows furrowed as she gave Akko a worried but quizzical look. "Are we not talking about the day where we saved magic?"

Akko blinked at her, before shifting her face away to look at the window again. "Oh," she whispered, one hand fiddling with her scarf, her confession now being nothing but a murmur. "I forgot it was tomorrow."

Diana stared at her, shocked. Then she followed Akko's eyesight and saw the lumps of snow over tree branches, she saw the rows of snow lining the outdoor window sills. She saw the moon be bundled away by dark grey clouds and heard the sharp howl of wind in the silence between them. That was when her mind found the connection she missed before. That was when Diana instantly wrapped her arms around Akko as a apology.

"The day where you found out about your magic, where you lost yourself in the snow…" Diana started, noticing how Akko wrapped her hands around her body as a response to her hug. "That was the day before we saved the world wasn't it?" Diana felt Akko's nod in spite the layer of clothes between them and Diana ignored the guilt starting to spawn in her stomach. "I'm so sorry that I didn't notice before Akko."

"It's fine Diana," Akko said but whilst Diana could hear the smile in her words, she could tell how forced it was. She was about to ask her about it but Akko broke off the hug and turned her head again to the window. Her smile was sad, guilty even and was hidden by the layers of scarves. If Diana didn't pay close attention to Akko, she was sure she would've missed it or mistook it.

"Yknow," Akko laughed like they were part of an inside joke where the punchline was herself. "I didn't even notice my worst day and my best day were back to back. They seemed so far away from each other in my head. I only just noticed it."

"Due to the blizzard?"

"Yeah..."

Diana reached out and held Akko's hands and gave them a gentle squeeze for reassurance and support. "How are you feeling, Akko?"

Akko shrugged, the motion itself seemed lifeless. "I don't know…" she admitted, weariness seeping through her lips. Akko looked from Diana and back to the window, focusing directly on the snow-lined branches. "I never thought about this day before, been too busy to think about it I guess… It's weird. I feel…"

"I feel?" Diana prompted.

"Empty?" She shrugged, "Tired, definitely tired." Akko stopped to fight back a yawn as she turned to Diana. "I couldn't sleep Diana."

The worst of the worst overcame Diana, paranoia crept into her thinking and she held Akko's hands tighter. "Nightmares?" Diana half prayed that it wasn't the case, she had those terrible dreams before, she didn't want Akko to have them.

To her relief, Akko shook her head. "No I didn't get nightmares. It was just- it was cold." A frosty chill swept over Diana's spine, the sentence itself scaring her more than what she first thought. Akko leaned onto her chair as she turned her gaze back to the window. "It was so cold in bed, I mean it's always a bit chilly nowadays but it was so cold-" Unknowingly to herself, Akko's body shook and her voice quivered. "I- I- I couldn't move and-"

Before she could say anything else, Akko's voice went silent as Diana pulled her into her arms. Akko's face got buried in her chest as Diana held her tighter upon noticing the stark contrast in the temperature of their skin. Akko was freezing and she couldn't stop shaking. So Diana hugged her tighter than ever before with her eyes shut and heart beating rapidly, both from worry and the acknowledgment that they're this close to each other.

Diana wasn't the one to start a skinship between them, often that was Akko's job with her abilities to barge into one's personal space without a second thought. So naturally even though the situation didn't exactly warrant it, Diana couldn't help but blush, even if it was from the most subtle of ways. All in all, she just hoped that she was hugging properly, that Akko was safe and warm in her arms. The girl deserved that much at least.

"Are you feeling better now?" Diana asked after moments of silence passed and Akko's shivering seemed to calm down.

"Mmmm," Akko hummed, shifting her head a bit more as her hands were wrapped around Diana's waist. "You're really warm Diana," Akko giggled and Diana found herself grinning softly at her words. She could hear the smile, the real cheerful smile that Akko always had in her voice and it made her so happy to hear it again. "You're like a teddy bear!"

The comparison made Diana blush but she fought it down as she looked down, not surprised to meet Akko's grinning face. "Oh?" She mused. One hand threaded through Akko's hair causing the girl to squirm a bit with a subtle red hue on her cheeks. "I never knew teddy bears could be warm," she laughed, adoring Akko's expressions.

Akko sat up, her face now in line with Diana's, smiling through the blush. "Well only the best teddy bears do! Like the ones with a warm heart."

Diana smiled at her, her hand still in Akko's hair as she pulled herself closer. "Well, you would make a great teddybear yourself then Akko," she whispered over her lips before closing the distance with a soft kiss. The moment didn't last long, but it was enough for Diana to feel the Akko's smile as she kissed, enough to have both of them to have a darker hue of red across the cheeks, enough to Akko to giggle before burying her heated face in the spot between Diana's shoulder and neck. The action made Diana chuckle as she hugged her once more, "I'm glad you're okay Akko."

"Only thanks to you," Akko mumbled, "Thanks for helping me Diana."

"It's no problem Akko."

"No I mean-" Akko looked up, her face close to Diana's like the moment prior causing Diana to blush again. "-Thank you Diana, for everything." The sincerity in her words, the absoluteness of it all in the glint of her eyes caused Diana's heart to race as a wave of emotions swept over her. "For tonight and last year too. I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to leave my bed but I don't mind now because you're here. You always know where to find me... just like last year. So thank you, thank you for keeping me warm." To seal the deal, Akko pecked her on the cheek and when she pulled away Diana knew that her face was burning.

"You're welcome Akko," she managed to say before Akko placed her hands on her cheeks and gasped in awe.

"Wow you're cheeks are really warm!"

Diana recoiled at her cold touch despite of the gloves she made Akko wear. "And you're still freezing! How long did you stay out here Akko?"

Akko looked sheepish, hiding her face under her scarf. "An hour? I think?"

Diana rolled her eyes at her as she retrieved her thermos flask she placed on the side and unscrewed the cap. "It's not as hot as it used to be," she warned as she gave the bottle to Akko, "But I assume that it would be enough to warm you up."

"My warm teddy bear would be enough," Akko grinned as she snuggled up against Diana, her head resting against Diana's heart.

"Oh?" Diana said with a brow quirked, "If you don't want the beverage than more for me I suppose." To tease her further, Diana began to drink out of her flask, amused by Akko's quick back track.

"Nooooo, I need a drink. Diana please!"

Diana gave her a smirk as she handed the drink over. "Then it would be wise not to look at gift horse in the mouth."

Akko, still leaning on Diana's warm body, huffed before taking a sip at the flask, quickly savouring the sweet taste. "Why do I need to look at someone's mouth anyways?"

"It's a saying Akko, it means not to be ungrateful at a given gift."

"Still don't know why I have to look at someone's mouth though," Akko said as she turned back to Diana with a grin. "I'm always grateful for you Diana."

Diana chuckled, nudging Akko and caused her to giggle as well. "Since when did you become so smooth for someone who was yawning just moments prior."

Akko shrugged, the grin on her face grew wider as she turned around to face Diana, pride on her face upon seeing the blush on Diana's cheeks. "What can I say? You keep me up at night Diana."

Diana rolled her eyes and flicked Akko on the nose gently, "Hush you, and drink your hot chocolate."

Akko complied and Diana shifted her cloak around so that it covered both of them as they watched the snowfall in the moonlight. The silver glow of the star-printed moon highlighted the warm smiles and bashful cheeks as they relaxed in each other's presence.

The silence allowed Diana to muse in her head, thoughts and inner voiced debated against each other on the topic of Akko and her newly realised fear of the cold and snow. It hurted her to think that something so simple could cause Akko so much mental and perhaps emotional harm. That whilst her mind does not consciously react, her body does subconsciously. Why else would she be out here? If not to move and stop being frozen in her own cold bed.

Whilst Diana herself was a medical practitioner and a witch of a vast medical lineage, it pained her that currently, she did not know how to help her apart from giving her company and a warm drink. It did not help that when the moment would be over, Akko would return to her own dorm and the scary moment prior could happen again. The moment where, no matter how much time passed, Akko was once more back in the abandoned ruins, covered in snow and a loss for the future. Not only for this night again but on the recurring nights from this point onwards.

An idea sprung to Diana's head, instantly her face was flushed with colour. She had a half a mind to shut it down but as Diana looked at Akko's smiling face, a desire to protect and a warmth like no other swept over her and she found herself finding no reason to not try the idea out.

"Akko," Diana whispered. She leant her head forward, the curls of her blond hair hovered over Akko's face, tickling her skin as Akko brushed them aside and looked up. "Would you like to sleep with me tonight?"

Akko's eyes bulged as she leant back with surprise in her eyes. "Eh!?"

Diana looked away from her, eyes closed so that she couldn't see her flushed face in the reflection of Akko's eyes, even though she was highly aware of it from the heat from her cheeks. "I said," Diana began again, clearing her voice of embarrassment before she continued. "Would you like to sleep with me tonight?"

Silence. One that went on for far too long.

"Of course you're allowed to deny the opportunity, I had theorised that if you were return to your dorm, the situation and uncomfortable feeling you felt before I arrived could recur again except I would not be there to help you," Diana rambled as she turned her head further away from Akko, embarrassment overcoming the stoic dam she had in place thus flooding her system. "Thus the proposal for you to join me in my bed, for the night and possible recurring nights in the future so that I can come to your aide if the such emotions returned- "

Diana's rambling got cut short as Akko tackled into a hug. Diana froze upon contact but after seeing the wide grin on Akko's face, she allowed herself to relax with a smile. "It is safe for me to assume that you're joining me Akko?"

"Yep!" Akko grinned before she let go and stood up. "Besides your bed is really big and really comfy!"

Diana laughed as she stood up and adjusted the way Akko's hat flopped to the side when she stood up. "I'm glad it would be much of an assistance to you Akko." Upon making sure that Akko was well covered (as well as giving her another small lecture for wearing such exposing clothes in this time of weather), they began to set off to Diana's dorm.

The two of them walked in relative silence, only pausing when Akko shivered when a harsh wind from an open window swept through the hallways. Diana first closed the window before bringing Akko closer to her as they continued, one arm wrapped around her waist, their bodies constantly touching as they walked to ensure Akko was warm.

By the time they reached Diana's dorm on the other side of the school, both of them had flushed faces. Akko's was for having Diana's arm around her waist as they walked, Diana's was for doing the action to begin with. They entered the room quietly and Diana smiled at the sight of close friends sleeping soundly despite the weather. Due to the fact that Diana wasn't allowed to administer and organise the event tomorrow, both of them worked tediously hard in making the event run as smoothly as possible, especially with the sudden transition to indoors opposed to outdoors. They deserved to have some well earned rest.

Upon seeing Hannah and Barbara soundly sleeping, Akko yawned before wincing at the volume and how both of Diana's teammates stirred at the sound.

"Tired?" Diana whispered into Akko's ear. Akko nodded with a more subdued yawn causing Diana to smile as she lead Akko to her side of the room. "Now stay here and I'll join you shortly," Diana said as she helped Akko remove her school cloak and get into her bed before grabbing her nightgown on the way to the other side of the bookshelf.

When she returned Diana could not help but make an amused sound as she saw Akko already asleep, mouth slightly open with one more dangling off the bed. The sight was adorable to say the least. Diana moved to the other side of the bed and tucked herself in, careful not to make any sudden gestures that could stir the girl next to her.

Yet despite her carefulness, Akko still stirred and turned around. Diana smiled as Akko nestled her head into the crook of chest murmuring something indistinguishable, it sounded like a lazy thank you so Diana responded in the most appropriate way she could think of. She kissed her forehead and fell asleep, arms around Akko's waist, holding Akko like the teddy bear she was described to be.


End file.
